Ezekiel 30 - Wesley's Explanatory Notes

Ye — Inhabitants of Egypt.

A cloudy day — So times of trouble are called. Of the heathen — The time when God will reckon with the Heathens.

Ethiopia — The neighbour and ally to Egypt. Take away — Into miserable captivity. Her foundations — Their government, laws, and strong holds.

Lydia — Not the Asiatic, but the Africans placed between some part of Cyrene and Egypt. The mingled people — The hired soldiers from all parts, a confused mixture of nations. And Chub — The inhabitants of the inmost Libya; perhaps they may be the Nubians at this day. The men — All the allies of Egypt. With them — With the Egyptians.

Upheld — Those that favour and help her. The pride — The glory of all her strength.

They — All those before mentioned.

Destroyed — The fire that consumes nations is of God's kindling: and when he sets fire to a kingdom, all they that go about to quench the fire, shall be consumed by it.

Messengers — Such as having escaped the sword, shall tell the news. From me — By my permission and providence. In ship's — Messengers by ships might carry the news to both the Ethiopian, Asian, and African, by the Red — sea. As in the day — During the mighty havock made by the Chaldeans. It — A like storm.

His people — His own subjects, not hired soldiers.

The rivers dry — Probably the Chaldeans diverted them, and so their fortified towns wanted one great defence. Sell — Give it up entirely.

Noph — Memphis, now Grand Cairo, the chief city of the country. A prince — Either an Egyptian born, or independent, and over all Egypt. A fear — Consternation and cowardice.

In Zoan — Zoan shall be burnt down to ashes. In No — A great and populous city situate on one of the mouths of the Nile.

Sin — Pelusium, which was the key of Egypt, and therefore always well fortified, and strongly garrisoned.

Shall be rent — Her walls, and towers, and fortresses broken through by the violence of engines, and by the assaults of the soldiers.

Young men — 'Tis probable these might be a body of valiant youths, collected out of these ten cities. Aven — Bethshemesh, or Heliopolis, an idolatrous city, in which was a stately temple of the sun: an hundred and fifty furlongs, that is six miles and three quarters in compass. Phibeseth — Bubastus, sometimes called Hoephestus, not far from Aven.

Tehaphnehes — A great and goodly city of Egypt; Tachapanes, Tachpanes, Tahapanes, Tahpanes, Chanes, and Hanes, are names given it, and this from a queen of Egypt of that name in Solomon's time. It stood not far from Sin, or Pelusium. Darkened — A night shall come upon it. Break — I shall break the kingdom of Egypt, that it no more oppress with yokes, that is, burdens. Her daughters — Her towns and villages.

The eleventh year — Of Jeconiah's captivity, three months and two days before Jerusalem was taken, about the time that the Egyptians attempted to raise the siege of Jerusalem.

Have broken — Partly by the victory of the Chaldeans over Pharaoh — necho, partly by the victory of the Cyreneans over Pharaoh — hophra. The sword — None can heal the wounds that God gives but himself. They whom he disables, cannot again hold the sword.

His arms — Both his arms. The strong — That part of his kingdom which remains entire. Broken — That which was shattered before.

Will strengthen — As judges on the bench like Pilate, so generals in the field, like Nebuchadrezzar, have no power but what is given them from above.